News

The Permanent Court of Arbitration's decision places more pressure on the U.S. than China, as Washington must now act to support this emphatic judgement. Failure to do so will further weaken America's credibility, and undermine the rules-based order it seeks to preserve.

In order to determine how the US may effectively respond, China's strategy must be understood. [READ MORE]

The Philippines has turned down bilateral talks with China over the South China Sea dispute following Beijing’s insistence that Manila set aside a landmark tribunal ruling issued last week.

Ahead of the July 12 verdict issued by the arbitral tribunal, the country’s new president, Rodrigo Duterte, had been signaling a shift to a more conciliatory approach toward China, with his administration indicating that it was receptive to talks with Beijing. [READ MORE]

MANILA — The Asian country known to face down global superpowers has some advice for the Philippines on how to deal with the West Philippine Sea dispute with China — and it involves pressing several pressure points.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Truong Trieu Dong graced a forum on Tuesday with the Association of Generals and Flag Officers at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, gamely answering queries regarding Vietnam’s experience grappling with China’s excursions in their territorial waters. [READ MORE]

The idea that China would declare a South China Sea ADIZ is not new, having been around since China declared one over part of the East China Sea in 2013. However, the very unfavourable ruling by the U.N.

Convention on the Law of the Sea Permanent Court of Arbitration on overlapping claims between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea that invalidated most of China’s claims have again stoked worries that China will now declare one in retaliation, with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin saying such a move could be an option if Beijing felt threatened. [READ MORE]

KUALA LUMPUR – The ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea is a watershed moment for international law and an unmistakable warning to China about its strategic assertiveness in Southeast Asia.

The question now is how China will respond. Will it change its often-aggressive behavior in the region, or will it continue to view the South China Sea mainly in terms of US-China competition? [READ MORE]

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) came out with its ruling on South China Sea. The verdict was that China’s nine-dash line and its claims based on historical rights are null and void. As expected, China has rejected the ruling as invalid.

This is clearly a victory for the Philippines which had taken the case to the PCA. Invalidation of China’s historical claims to the South China Sea is also a big boost for other claimants, including Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. [READ MORE]

As expected, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled against China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines was exultant. Beijing responded dismissively and issued a detailed rebuttal.

The People’s Republic of China faces a difficult choice: accept an international system believed to be biased against China’s interests, or assert its claims even more aggressively, risking conflict with its neighbors. [READ MORE]

The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the Philippines’ case against China is a historic milestone in the evolution of the South China Sea dispute.

As one of the main parties to the dispute, Vietnam has welcomed the ruling, adding that it would make a separate statement on the award’s content. Once released, the statement will shed light on Vietnam’s interpretation of the ruling, and provide clues about how it might deal with the dispute in the future. [READ MORE]

The risk of confrontation between China and the maritime states of Southeast Asia has increased significantly.

On 12 July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled that China’s expansive claim to the waters of the South China Sea enclosed by its “nine dash line” map had no legal basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and China could not claim historical rights to resources within the enclosed area. [READ MORE]

Last week’s much anticipated ruling in favour of the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration was decisive.

In its unambiguous dismissal of China’s ‘historic rights’ claims and in other respects, the ruling went well beyond what was expected. The unanimous decision by the Tribunal judges has big implications for management of one of the most hotly contested international issues in our region. [READ MORE]

Southeast Asia has descended into a maritime insecurity spiral since the April–June 2012 stand-off at Scarborough Shoal between Chinese maritime security forces and the Philippine Navy, which motivated Manila to initiate legal arbitration proceedings in The Hague.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) ruling in favour of the Philippines will be difficult to enforce. To forestall an even more intense security dilemma in the South China Sea, regional policymakers should not lose sight of four vital underlying strategic trends. [READ MORE]